How many Big Ten stars land on DeCourcy's lists?

By Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, 3 years ago

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

How many Big Ten stars land on DeCourcy's lists?

By Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, 3 years ago

Sporting News and BTN correspondent Mike DeCourcy has been busy compiling his top 10 position lists. With all the talent the Big Ten returns in 2013-14, it’s only fitting that the conference boasts its share of representatives.

“As a freshman, he was mostly expected to defer to all those veterans and only occasionally to upstage them, but he is an elite athlete and capable shooter who could experience a Shane Larkin-type surge to excellence.”

“Ross showed he will be ready to handle stardom when he scored 17 or more points in the Buckeyes’ final three NCAA Tournament games. He’ll be the primary offensive option this year—and look how that worked for his predecessor.”

“McGary may be the most complete player in college basketball. He has shown great command of every important tool: shooting, passing, scoring in the post, even handling the ball when necessary. He is an insatiable rebounder. He holds his position defensively and blocks the occasional shot. And he plays freaking hard.”

Biggest surprise: There’s two of them: 1. Yogi Ferrell, as No. 3 point guard, ahead of Aaron Craft, at No. 6. No disrespect to Ferrell, but Craft’s been great for three years and, well, everyone knows how much DeCourcy LOVES Craft (no one more than the @bigtengeeks); 2. Gary Harris, as No. 1 shooting guard. Harris is a stud and a legit Big Ten Player of the Year candidate, however the No. 1 ranking is more about what he could do than what he has done.

Biggest omission: Tim Frazier, Penn State – He might not be 100 percent, he might not be the same player, he might re-injure his Achilles, I get it. But based on track record and what he can do now that he has a talented sidekick (D.J. Newbill), Fraizer deserves some kind of mention. Then again, I always seem to be a lot higher on Frazier than others.

About Brent Yarina

BTN.com web editor Brent Yarina covers football and men’s basketball for BTN.com. He writes the popular uniform feature “Clothes Call,” which also focuses on the latest cosmetic changes across Big Ten arenas and stadiums. Read all of his work here. You can subscribe to Yarina’s RSS feed and follow him on Twitter @BTNBrentYarina.